Should you stay at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge?
In short, yes. It’s beautiful and amazing. It’s also the resort that many people would happily go to and not even bother with the parks. There are two parts to it, Jambo House and Kidani Village.
Jambo is similar in design to Wilderness Lodge, with a spectacular galleried lobby of four of five storeys in height.
Kidani is equally as beautiful but is more cosy and intimate. Both have savannahs, where wild animals, including giraffes and zebras roam.
Both have heated and attractive pools. And both have fabulous restaurants.
Besides wild animals, excellent dining options, highly immersive theming, beautiful heated pools (and splash area at Kidani), spectacular lobby at Jambo and lovely lobby at Kidani, gym and hot tub, there are all the other facilities you would expect with this five-star Disney resort.
So a better question might be – why not stay here? The obvious obstacle is cost. Animal Kingdom Lodge is one of Disney’s Deluxe resorts and has a price tag to match.
So how can you put it within reach of your budget? Two ideas: Consider renting DVC (Disney Vacation Club) points from an agent such as David’s Vacation Club.
Alternatively, if cost is a major factor for you, consider doing a split stay, for example with one week at a Value resort such as Disney’s Pop Century and one week at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge.
Or what about a 10-night Disney holiday instead of the tradition 14 nights?
The other reason not to stay – if we really scrape the barrel for a reason NOT to stay at this amazing resort – is potentially its location.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge is a little way out as compared to some other resorts. That’s part of its appeal, adding to the feeling of staying in an African lodge, surrounded by miles of open savannah.
Like every other resort, it has complimentary transportation. It has buses. Some resorts also have boats, the monorail or are on the Skyliner or are within walking distance of a park.
Animal Kingdom Lodge’s closest park is, naturally, Animal Kingdom and it’s least closest is Magic Kingdom.
The bus journey between Animal Kingdom Lodge and Magic Kingdom typically takes around 20 to 25 minutes. To Epcot it’s also about 20 to 25 minutes. To Hollywood Studios it’s about 15 to 20 minutes. To Animal Kingdom it’s 10 to 15 minutes.
The buses are regular, and there are only two stops at the resort, Kidani and Jambo.
Some resorts have multiple stops, for example Disney’s Port Orleans has four bus stops, and Disney’s Caribbean Beach has six bus stops, so take this into consideration.
The My Disney Experience app shows when buses at your resort are due.
Finally, if you really can’t be bothered to get the bus, there’s always a taxi. An Uber from AKL to Disney Springs will be approximately $20.
Our advice at The Magic Made Easy is to set aside £150 of your holiday budget just for taxis. You might not spend any of it, but it will come in handy for those moments when you want to make things super easy.
PS: Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge is our favourite resort!
The Magic Made Easy: Simple advice for planning and cutting costs on a Walt Disney World holiday, especially for UK guests and first-timers. 